Whichever way you hike it, this is one of the most memorable hikes in California. Unfortunately, bureaucracy has increasingly spoiled the whole magic.

There are two trails from the Whitney Portal (the parking lot) to the top of Mt Whitney.

In this page you will find some useful links and phone numbers, general advice and directions how to get to the Whitney Portal from the Bay Area, and (scroll down) a description of both the "regular" trail and the "mountaineering" North Fork trail. The vast majority of hikers use the "regular" trail, which is relatively easy (for a 4,421m mountain) and very scenic. It is just very long (a fast hiker can hope to get to the top in six/seven hours). The mountaineering (North Fork) trail requires some climbing skills and it is definitely not recommended if you're afraid of heights (people have died on the mountaineering trail). Unfortunately, both the "regular" trail and the "mountaineering" route require a permit, that is not easy to obtain in the summer. (Very easy to obtain in thunderstorm/snow season, of course: lots of inexperienced hikers end up hiking Whitney in september/october). If you have two days, or are willing to hike 60+ kms, check also the Western trail.

Links:

The regular trail

The trail from the parking lot to Lone Pine Lake is long switchbacks with a moderate grade. At the top of these switchbacks, there are a fork and a sign. To the left one goes to Lone Pine Lake, to the right one goes to Mt Whitney. If you take the right turn, you are likely to meet a pathetic ranger checking that you have a permit. If you take the left turn, no permit is required.
The trail from Lone Pine Lake to Mirror Lake is very easy. After Mirror Lake, the trail starts going up steeply and runs along a creek to the trail camp. This is where you are likely to feel the altitude. If you look to your left (past the creek), at some point you can see Consultation Lake down below. You are not far from trail camp.
Trail camp is a little lake with minimal facilities. From the trail camp you head for the face of Mt Muir. The "96 switchbacks" (there are actually more than 140) take you to the Trail Crest. The switchbacks are a very mild grade, but they are very long and the altitute kicks in.
At the Crest you crossover to the other side, with incredible views of the Sequoia Park wilderness. The trail goes down and you reach the second fork of the hike: left you go to Sequoia Park (a very long trip). Turn right to Mt Whitney.
The trail goes up mildly. You will see three giant spikes sticking out of the mountain on your right-hand side. The third one is the peak. When you get to its base, you still have to climb some steep switchbacks. Due to altitude, most people take a long time to complete these last 500m.

If you are in reasonable shape and acclimatized, it shouldn't take you longer than eight hours to hike from the parking lot to the top (and five hours to hike back down). If you are in excellent shape, you can hike to the top in less than six hours. (If you are not in shape, you should not even think of trying this hike). We normally leave around 4am and are back way before sunset.

North Fork (mountaineering) trail

Pictures of this hike

For the record...

Western trail

• Cottonwood Lakes trailhead (3060m)
• to Old Army Pass (3700m, 10km)
• to Mount Langley (4275, 15km)
• to Old Army Pass (3700, 20km)
• to Rock Creek ranger station
• to Guitar Lake (3535, 45km)
• to Mt Whitney (4416m, 55km)
• to Whitney Portal (72km)

Campgrounds

• the Whitney Portal campground, at the trail head ($10): 1-800-280-2267 or 1-877-444-6777 They require a minimum reservation of two nights.
• the overnight hikers' campground at the trailhead
• Tuttle Creek (5 kms west of Lone Pine on Whithey Portal Rd, FREE): 760 872-4881
• Horseshoe Meadows (8 kms west of Lone Pine on Whithey Portal Rd): 760 876-6200
• Check others at Reserve US
• the mountain itself (need permits, of course)

1. Getting hurt (always #1 concern when I go on a long hike). Carry band aids.
2. Dehydratation (above 3000m the body needs a lot of water, and there is no water most of the trail). Calculate how much water you need for the 16 kms going up (going down you will be dead anyway).
3. Altitude (if you suffer from altitude). If it gets bad, walk back down a little bit and see if you recover quickly.
4. Getting stuck on the way back in the dark.
5. Sunburn (even if the temperature will be chilly most of the way). A hat is very important.

Directions from the Bay Area

From the Bay Area go to Yosemite (580 to 120 east). Once you enter Yosemite watch for the sign "Tioga Pass - 120 East". Turn left at that sign and keep driving for about one hour. Eventually, you reach Lee Vining (eg, Mono Lake). Turn right on 395 south and keep driving through Bishop and Independence till you reach Lone Pine.
The total distance from Pleasanton to Lone Pine is about 560 kms: 320 kms from Pleasanton to Lee Vining and 240 kms from Lee Vining to Lone Pine. Add the kms from your house to Pleasanton for the total distance (Redwood City: 610 kms, San Francisco: 625 kms, Berkeley: 605 kms, etc). Realistically, you should get to Lee Vining in 4-5 hrs (depending on stops) and to Lone Pine in 2-2.5 hours (good road, high speed limit, no traffic, you can easily make 120 kmh).

Take the I-580 EAST towards STOCKTON
Merge onto I-580 E. 47.1 km
Take I-205 E towards TRACY/STOCKTON. 1.6 km
Merge onto I-205 E. 20.2 km
Take the I-5 NORTH exit. 1.5 km
Merge onto I-5 N. 2.0 km
Take CA-120 RAMP towards MANTECA/SONORA. 0.4 km
Merge onto CA-120 E. 9.5 km
Take the CA-99 NORTH/CA-120 EAST exit on the left. 1.3 km
Merge onto CA-120 E. 1.4 km
Take the CA-120 EAST/YOSEMITE AVE exit towards SONORA. 0.3 km
Turn RIGHT onto CA-120. 257.6 km
Stay straight to go onto US-395. 162.3 km
Drive south on 395 to Lone Pine
Drive west on Whitney Portal Rd to the end of the road

Total is about 600kms from 880&580 to Lone Pine. It should take you about 6 hours (add one hour if you leave during rush hour and add any stops you will take).
An alternative route if you don't want to drive through the mountains is to head south on 99 to Bakersfield, then southeast on 58 to Mojave, then north on 14 that turns into 395.

Clickable map

The regular trail is the one that goes through Mirror Lake and Consultation Lake.

The mountaineering (North Fork) "trail" is the one that ends at Iceberg Lake.

Notes of the 1999 trip

Notes of the 2001 trip

Notes of the 2002 trip

Notes of the 2003 trip

Notes of the 2006 trip

Notes of the 2007 trip ->